Being that I am a first time dog owner, I can admit that I might not have been as educated as I thought I was about things such as grooming and diet. Owning a dog, especially a rescue, changes your life in ways that are hard to explain. Falling completely in love with an animal from the moment you see them is such a powerful thing. I quickly came to realize that I wanted Canela (our two year old Sharpei mix – and yes she has her own Instagram account) to live the best life I could provide her.

Looking at the photo above, you might assume that it was taken at a healthy butcher here in Toronto. You wouldn’t be completely wrong in that assumption. Having recently visited All Good Dog Food Co. with Canela, I came to realize that this Toronto based store and their unique passion for healthy dog food is looking to improve the life of my dog just as much as I am.

Located at 16 Vaughan Rd., the store itself isn’t your “traditional” pet store. Walking in I was greeted with lots of space for my dog to explore and run around (which for those of you who have dogs will appreciate when you need a minute or two to make a purchase). I was relaxed and felt at home – which is the sentiment that runs through both the storefront and the concept as a whole. A family run business built out of love and the desire to make the lives of our four legged friends better.

But what makes All Good Dog Food Co. so important when it comes to the day to day life of Canela?

“After consulting with dozens of vets and nutritionists, All Good Dog Food™ developed a product that both dogs AND owners can go crazy for! Using only fresh, natural ingredients, our chefs hand-make three special recipes — Lamb, Chicken and Beef — that go straight from our kitchen to Rex’s bowl! 100% pure, high-quality, human-grade food that tastes great. No dehydrating, no preservatives and, most importantly, no fillers!”

Now because I’ve been hanging out with Catherine too much, I was curious about where the ingredients being put into this fresh made food are sourced from. Coming from local Ontario butchers, the food itself is not only the best quality but also helps to believe that we should all be eating local.

There is a school of thought that believes we should be eating produce made within a certain area of where we live. Both for sustainability reasons but also to support local farmers and business owners. I’ll leave the in depth explanation to Catherine but it’s important to note that All Good Dog Food Co. uses local ingredients to create the best quality food they can.

Having worked closely with dozens of vets to create the best recipes possible using high quality ingredients speaks to the passion and power of All Good Dog Food Co. “All Good Dog Food™ is a fresh-cooked, meatloaf-style meal suitable for ALL sizes and breeds. Our hypoallergenic formula uses only fresh, human-grade ingredients, is dye and preservative-free, and flash-frozen to lock in all the nutrients. It’s the next best thing to home cooking! We use only real, locally-sourced ingredients like muscle and organ meat, fresh eggs, vegetables and whole, unprocessed grains that are gently cooked to ensure maximum nutrient retention. It’s so healthy, you could literally eat it yourself!” For a full list of ingredients and their importance in your dog’s diet, make sure to click here.

Our friends at the Toronto Star recently visited the store as well and created this beautiful video. Since our videographer doesn’t come on board until 2016 (stay tuned, we’ve got some exciting things coming!) I decided to share their beautiful video in the meantime:

We picked up some chicken and lamb food for Canela before leaving the store because I was intrigued to see what she would think about it. Now, without sounding like one of “those” dog owners, it is important to see what your dog’s diet does to their energy, coat and bowel mouvements. We currently feed Canela a raw diet based upon the suggestions of Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary. Being that we feed her twice a day, we introduced the food in the evening after a long walk. She seems to be a huge fan and we love the way it makes her feel!

Priced at $6.00-$6.50 per 750g, order online or in store to plan out your week or month. The products are frozen and simply need to thaw overnight in the fridge which helps to ensure that healthy food for your dog is also convenient with a busy schedule. Orders over $50 also include free delivery within the city of Toronto – always an added bonus!

To stay inspired on all things dog, make sure to follow @AllGoodDogFood on Twitter & Instagram. Use the #HealthyFoodHealthyDog hashtag to show us which products your pooch loves most. While you’re joining the social media conversation, don’t forget to follow @CanelaReyes too!